Christian Reflection and Prayer

"You Have to Know Who to Trust"

Read Psalm 146.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in
the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth. ... The LORD
watches over the sojourners. Psalm 146:5, 9A

Putting up Christmas lights by yourself isn't very easy, and often
it's not very smart either. In the first week of December 2006 three
men in northern Texas fell off ladders while decorating their
houses. Two were paralyzed and the third died. They broke one
of the first rules of using a ladder: always have someone there to
help steady the ladder. They forgot the second rule too: if you must
climb the ladder yourself, make sure it is secured to the roof.

We tend to trust in our skills, our abilities, and our knowledge --
even our balance -- more than we should. But asking someone to
help who has no idea how to hold a ladder would be no better.

This week in church we light the third candle in the Advent wreath.
Traditionally, and still in many churches today, that candle is a
different color from the others. It is a reminder to turn our attention
to Christ Jesus who is different from all other people. He is
absolutely trustworthy and able to handle every single problem
that could possibly come our way.

Are you hoping for a "perfect Christmas" this year? What are you
counting on to make it perfect? Is it the perfect present under the
tree? Is it getting all the presents bought and wrapped? Is it
getting every string of lights onto your house and your Christmas
tree and then keeping them lit all through the holiday season?
Will it be the perfect Christmas if you are able to get each
member of your family to join you? Will it be perfect if everyone
is healthy?

How often do our hopes and aspirations for Christmas -- and for
life itself -- depend on our accomplishments or someone else
coming through for us? Whenever you have placed your
confidence in an Internet business, a department store, or the
forecast of the local meteorologist, how many times have you
been disappointed at Christmas because you or somebody else
has failed?

There is only one safe place to set our hope, and that is in the
God who made the heavens and the earth. He alone has the
power to do all we need. He alone loves us enough to give us
more than we can ask or imagine. He is the God who became
human and lived among us. He is God who laid down His life
on the cross and rose again in glory for us. He is the God who
walks along with us and guides us to our heavenly home. Our
hope is in Jesus Christ our only Savior, for whose sake our
Heavenly Father stands at the end of life's road with His arms
widespread, waiting to welcome us into His heavenly Kingdom.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be our
Lord and Savior. Forgive us for placing so much trust in
ourselves or in others. Teach us to rely on Jesus Christ alone
for He can never fail us. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

(Luheran Hour Ministries)

"Christmas Trees Don't Last Forever"

Read Matthew 3:7-12.
Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree
therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Matthew 3:10

The cut Christmas trees we got when I was a kid sure didn't
last long. Mom always tried to stretch them until Epiphany,
January 6, but the tree didn't always make it that long. And
each day it became more of a fire hazard. We'd watch our
cut tree dry up, drop its needles, turn brown and die -- all
 because it had been cut off from its roots.

Each of us is like a cut Christmas tree. From the moment
we're born we begin the gradual process of dying. But that is
not the way God created us. God made our first parents Adam
and Eve sinless and pure and placed them in the Garden of
Eden. When they listened to the words of the serpent and ate
the forbidden fruit, God cut them off from the Garden and barred
their way to the tree of life. Like a tree cut off from its roots, we --
along with all of Adam and Eve's other children -- creep steadily
closer each day to the day of our death.

But God did not leave us alone in our sin. While Adam and Eve
were still in the Garden, even before God drove them out, He
promised them a Savior, who would be the Seed of the woman.
He would crush the serpent's head on the cross, and through
His resurrection would swallow up the death that came to us
all in the Garden.

That Seed was Jesus Christ, God's own Son who became one
of us when He was conceived of the Virgin Mary. Though He
was without sin, Jesus fully paid the price for all our sins. He
was cut off. He was crucified and died on that cross. He washed
us free of our sin in Baptism, and He has restored eternal life to
us. Through His Word and His body and blood in Holy
Communion He empowers us to do good works -- just the same
way a tree bears good fruit when it is firmly attached to its roots.

John warned us against being overly confident in ourselves. It is
humility and sincerity that make us approachable to others. As
we share the love of God with others this Christmas season,
remember to offer more than a "Merry Christmas!" Offer to give
yourself as you follow the example of Christ's sacrifice for us.

THE PRAYER:
 
Lord Jesus, You became one of us, that through Your suffering
and death, You might crush the Serpent's head. Receive our
praise and thanks and enable us to bear fruits that reflect Your
love. We pray this in Your Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Matthew 3:1-6.
John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around
his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:4

I grew up thinking our living room was the natural place for a
Christmas tree. But after I had grown up it finally dawned on me --
 a tree is not supposed to be sitting right in the middle of your
living room! It's totally out of place there! Trees belong outside
in the yard! In fact, in recent years we decorated one evergreen
tree in our front yard with lights, ornaments, and bows. The tree
belongs outside -- where it can live and grow year round. Cutting
a tree down and setting it up inside a house is an out of place
location for a tree.

That phrase "out of place" fit John the Baptist perfectly. John
wore different clothing from everyone else, and he ate very
different food from everyone else, and he lived in a very different
place than everyone else. Why? Because John was the prophet
God sent to prepare the way for His Son. His message was
repent! In other words, reverse the direction of your life because
the Kingdom of God is at hand.

We too must recognize how often we are going the wrong way
in life because of our sinful nature. We often see it pretty clearly
in our broken family relationships, our strained friendships, and
our divided congregations. Just like an evergreen tree that is cut
down and then propped up in a living room and decorated, we
are all dying.

John came to show us why we need a Savior. So John dressed
differently, and he preached out in the wilderness. And if you
wanted to hear what God had to say to you through John, you
had to go out of place too. You had to join him in the wilderness.
His location teaches us to leave our old way of thinking and our
old way of life to meet and travel together with our humble King.

Just as John the Baptist left his home in the hill country of Judea
to live in the wilderness, Jesus left His heavenly throne and lived
among us. The glorious Son of God, Creator of all, became a
human baby and lived out His earthly life among us in poverty and
want. He was rejected, suffered, and died that we might find
peace and forgiveness. Jesus was out of place on earth so that
you and I would be made right for heaven, His home.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for going out of place for us when You left
Your home in heaven to live with us here on earth. Through Your
sacrifice and death in our place, we are forgiven all our sins and
inherit eternal life. Move us to leave our sinful lives and walk with
You on the road to heaven. We pray this in Your Name. Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)